Polaroid SLR 690

The Polaroid SLR 690 is an instant camera. It was introduced to the world public by Polaroid in 1996. The SLR 690 is identical to the Polaroid SLR 680, except for a few minor details.

The Polaroid SLR 690 is an SLR camera and reminds of the classic Polaroid SX-70 in design and construction. Closed, it measures 24.5 x 10.5 x 2.5cm and weighs just under 800 grams.

The SLR 690 was manufactured in Japan by Nippon Polaroid Kabushiki Kaisha (Polaroid Corporation of Japan), the Japanese subsidiary of Polaroid. The SLR 680 was manufactured in the United States of America.

Another difference is the 4-bit microcontroller and that the screws are metric. Otherwise, it is very similar to the Polaroid SLR 680.

The Polaroid SLR 690 has a glass lens with four elements. The fixed focal length can be focused either manually or automatically, using the Polaroid Sonar autofocus system. The camera automatically sets the aperture and exposure time. These can be influenced by the light/dark slider. The camera does not have a completely manual mode.

The flash can be switched on if necessary. There is a thread for a tripod, which makes it possible to take pictures at longer shutter speeds without problems, and a connection for a strap.

Polaroid no longer produces film for the SLR 690. In the meantime, The Impossible Project has taken Polaroid’s place and is once again producing instant film for this format.

The films are sold under the Polaroid Originals brand. For black and white and color pictures with the SLR 690, Impossible currently has the Polaroid B&W Film for 600* and the Polaroid Color Film for 600* in its range. A battery in the film pack serves as the power source for the camera and flash. This is thus automatically changed with each film change.

There are eight pictures in a pack of Polaroid Originals instant films. In the past, there were ten. The frame counter is also equipped for this number. If it shows the number two, the new film is empty and you have to buy a new pack.